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Last week, my friend Jeni came to visit from California and I took her to some of my favorite places in Houston that I knew she’d love. Among them, was Boxwood Interiors, a charming store featuring an amazing selection of pillows, furniture, lighting, decorative accessories, and paints and wallcoverings by Farrow and Ball. I’ll let you in on a little secret, we sourced a few items from Boxwoods for a High Gloss photo shoot that we can’t wait to share with you! But more on that later. First, I’d like to share a visual tour of this amazing shop. Boxwood recently underwent a major makeover. The store nearly doubled in size and they added a ton of fabulous new vignettes, brightened the space, and added some show-stopping details.

{It was quite appropriate that we visited Boxwood on the same day that we heard Miles Redd speak. This amazing octagonal partition is painted in Miles’ favorite color, Hague Blue in Full Gloss finish by Farrow and Ball. It is such a gorgeous shade and this image doesn’t even begin to do the amazing partition justice.}

{Boxwood mixes styles so well. There are plenty of things that appeal to the French and Belgian loving set as well as a great assortment of pieces that appeal to those who love a more modern dose of color.}

{I love the framed abstract paintings here. Sally Wheat has some similar ones in her home. Sally, if you’re reading this, what is the artist’s name?}

{This console is bananas! The photo doesn’t even begin to do it justice. It is covered in what looked and felt like seagrass and studded with nailheads.}

{I loved the gilded wheat sheaf table and these neat stools.}

{These Kobo candles smell so nice and feature such lovely packaging.}

{Gorgeous Mercury Glass Lamps atop a Beautiful Console Table}

{There is literally eye candy in every corner of this store. I am crazy about this fabulous end table with Greek key detail.}

{A Pretty Table Setting and Chandelier in front of Gorgeous, Hand-Painted Wallpaper by Farrow and Ball.}

{I love the simple lines of this furniture. It would be great in an outdoor area.}

{Another Beautiful Vignette}

{More Mercury Glass Lamps – Love!}

{A Fabulous Assortment of Farrow and Ball}

{A Nod to the 1950s via a Wheat Sheaf Table and Cute Poodle Lamp}

{Yet another lamp I was dying over! I wasn’t kidding when I said I was a total lamp tramp!}

{I wish I’d gotten a better picture of their gorgeous cash wrap /check-out counter. You can see it up close in the previous picture. It features carrera marble and antiqued mirrors. I doubt there is a prettier one in existence.}

{So, the gorgeous Hague Blue octagonal partition from the beginning of this post separates the retail part of the space from the offices in the back. Boxwood also provides interior design services.}

Thank you, Mimi and Jenna for being such gracious hostesses and treating us like old friends during our visit!

The other day, I had some extra time before my first appointment, so I decided to pop into Memorial Antiques & Interiors, one of my favorite places to browse antiques and find inspiration here in Houston. The selection changes every few months, so I like to visit every so often and see what is new.

As you will see here, the majority of the items at MAI appeal very much to Houston’s general design aesthetic, which mostly falls into the French/Swedish/Belgian category. While I can certainly appreciate the beauty of that type of design, it isn’t really my taste, so I like to imagine fresh ways of incorporating a typical French piece and making it feel more modern and eclectic. This French library, for example (also pictured in the first image) would look fantastic in a living room with different styles of furniture, or even in a dining room re-purposed as a china cabinet.

I have to admit that I don’t know who all of the booths at MAI belong to. Some have business cards, like Two Lucys, whose booth is pictured above and in the following images. Others, like Liz Spralding, are frequently present in their booths to ask questions and share the history of her beautiful antiques. I just loved this little daybed in Two Lucys’ booth. It’s rather small, so it would probably work best for a child. I have also been noticing a lot of antique horse heads lately like the one pictured here between the botanical prints. Lamps, Sconces, Gate Doors, and Grills at Two Lucys

I love how authentic their booth feels!

More from Two LucysThey actually have three booths at MAI now.

I loved this display of vintage lamps. There is something for everyone!

I thought these bottle lamps were gorgeous!

Isn’t the color of the glass pretty?

I liked the big angel wings on the back wall of this booth as well as the old doors.

This bistro table looks cute from afar…

but it becomes really special once you see that the top is made from an old, mirrored clock face.

I thought this booth had some very chic offerings, from the charcoal sketches, to the lovely settee, and classic mirror.

This booth is fairly new as it was my first time to see it. They had mostly new items like candles, pillows, and John Derian items.

I thought this old limestone table was spectacular! I think the look would be too cold in an actual dining room, but it would look phenomenal in an outdoor area.

This mirror is gorgeous! I love the size, the colors, and the typeface.

Several beautiful mirrors, like this one, caught my eye that day.

This starburst is gorgeous, but pricey!

I thought these mirrors were very cool. They look like they are made from old warehouse windows. I would love to buy the frames and have the mirrors added myself. I bet it would be so much cheaper to do it that way.

A More Ornate Option

This little marble-topped table is great and could be used in several applications.

New York Magazine is the source for all of the best New York City has to offer. Their Shop-A-Matic feature takes the grunt work out of shopping by sorting through the infinite amount of options for you. The editors at New York Magazine carefully select the best options in various price points and categories. You can sign up for the widget and get all of the details for the hottest items sent directly to you. Shop-A-Matic recently teamed up with Apartment Therapy to do a feature entitled “140 Small Space Solutions”. They selected all types of furniture and accessories starting at just seven dollars. Previous Shop-A-Matic features include:

I received the latest issue of House Beautiful in the mail last night. This month’s issue features, kaarsKoker, A Seattle-based company founded by April Pride Allison. The idea is absolutely brilliant! After ordering tons of light fixtures for her clients, Allison grew disillusioned by the cheap plastic sleeves that often come with certain types of light fixtures and decided to do something about it. In September of 2008, she launched kaarsKoker, which means “candle sleeve” in Dutch. Her collection features a broad spectrum of chic patterns and solid colors in 4 inch and 6 inch lengths. As if that were not enough, they are affordable, too ranging from $12 to $23 per pair.

Mecox Gardens recently opened its eighth location in Houston. Located in Highland Village, the 8,000 square foot emporium of chic wares is a welcome addition to our city. The store carries many styles of furnishings, art, accessories, lighting, and antiques. There is literally something for everyone’s aesthetic. I love Mecox because it is evident that every single piece in the store is thoughtfully selected. Despite the fact that so many styles are present (Swedish, Mid-Century, Hollywood Regency, Industrial, Traditional, Asian), they all work beautifully together. If I had my way, along with unlimited funds I would purchase every last item for my home at Mecox!

A section of the massive store… It is a design enthusiast’s dream!

I thought this vignette was beautiful. The desk, chair, and lamps are fantastic!

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